Sensitive Feet
by smile4me-jade
Summary: Aang is trying to get Toph to see him in a new light...and fails miserably. oneshot. short and sweet


Sweat dripped down Aang's back in beads. His senses alert and focus undeterred. He struck with precision and the movements taught to him by masters. Being a skilled bender, he was able to separate a part of his mind from the fight to remain in touch with the element he used for his own will and let his instincts take over. He fought extremely well…but so did his opponent.

Blasts of fire were shot at him with impeccable direction and force. Aang dodged them easily though. He studied the other's movements, waiting for just the right moment. And it came. Upon direction, slabs of earth rose around the other fighter firmly to the neck, effectively immobilizing him.

The two met eyes for a long moment.

"You get better every day," said a proud fire prince to the young monk. With an accomplished smile, Aang released the fire bender from his earth prison.

"Thanks again for sparring with me. I just want to get in as much practice as I can," Aang responded.

"It was a nice way to spend time outside on a day like this," Zuko said with a friendly smile while he brushed off remaining dirt.

Aang rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and dug his toes into the soft soil, a faint blush on his face when he asked, "Uhm…Zuko? I was kinda hoping to ask you something…about a girl."

Zuko immediately tensed. Was he about to ask about Katara? Nobody knew, but he and Katara were slowly growing a relationship past that of friends. The very thought of Aang asking about advice to win her made his blood boil and he found himself with white- knuckled fists at his sides. "Ask me anything," he said through clenched teeth.

"D-do you think…Toph likes me?"

The last part of the question came out so fast Zuko blinked stupidly trying to understand it but when he did, a look of surprise replaced his confusion. "You? Liking Toph? Oh, um, well I'm definitely not the person to ask about this kind of stuff. Maybe you should talk to Sokka." Now Zuko looked uncomfortable and even a little flushed, he wasn't exactly the lady's man type.

"Good idea," he replied awkwardly with eyes glued to the ground.

Aang was about to edge past his friend on a search mission for Sokka when Zuko said, "Hey, um, good luck…with Toph and all." And with a playful punch to the arm, he sent the younger boy off.

* * *

Katara washed the dishes from breakfast in the sink while staring out the window to observe the boys' sparring match. She smiled to herself at the scene. Two skilled benders testing each other's abilities in the beautiful courtyard that belonged to the beach house they were residing in on Ember Island. The trees were thick, green, and numerous and the sky was clear and as blue as her robes. Her eyes also following the muscled, and shirtless, fire bender who moved with skill taught to him since childhood. Yes, she very much admired the view through the window.

"Felt like a nice match," said Toph with intent to break her friend's staring before the drooling came. Her feet firmly planted to the ground provided her the scene as well. She was getting sick of Katara and Zuko's lovesick staring and the secrecy of it. Of course she knew about it. She could feel their heartbeats racing whenever they even heard the name of the other.

Katara hadn't even noticed the match over. Katara was ripped from her somewhat dreamy gaze and felt a blush tint her cheeks when she realized how obvious she was being. However if Toph noticed her heartbeat that was pounding nervously, she said nothing. Katara hastily cleared her throat. "They are a good pair, very different from one another. It's good for them to be challenged in new ways."

Toph couldn't resist busting the chops of the older girl. "Oh, they are definitely different. Zuko's bigger, and muscley. I'm blind and even I know he's got a nice bod," she stated simply while Kataras eyes widened and her blush deepened.

"I didn't mean it physically!"

Toph put on a suggestive voice just to tease Katara. "I know but Zuko's _is _the more…developed, hot-headed, manly one and Aang…" she stopped short at the accidental mention of the name of a certain boy who seemed to plague her thoughts without consent.

"Aang is gentle, sensitive, and sweet." Katara said in honesty. She hadn't meant it to be negative on Aang's part and Toph didn't take it that way but that couldn't be said for the young air bender who went unnoticed in trying to pass through the hall and now nursed a wounded ego. Aang crept away silently, feeling a wave a defeat wash over him.

What also went unnoticed by the brown skinned girl busy shielding her emotions and boy preoccupied with his eavesdropping was the way petite earth bender worked to hide her own discomfort at the new topic of conversation.

Sokka sat on his bed, absorbed in the polishing of his boomerang when a dejected looking avatar slumped into his room.

"Hey, why the long face? Did you finally realize Momo is evil?" He joked but let his smile fall when he saw Aang went unphased. Aang plopped onto the bed beside Sokka and released a heavy sigh.

"Toph doesn't think I'm manly," he stated staring at his hands that rested in his lap.

Sokka bit his tongue to hold back the laughter but the attempt failed. "But…you…aren't," he wheezed between his fits of chuckles. He wasn't sure if he was laughing at the obvious statement or the fact that his friend liked _Toph._ Good luck with that one. Well he was going to need all the help he could get.

"It's not funny!" Aang yelled back, even more self-conscious than before. Sokka realized his error and slowly calmed himself, giggles escaping every few deep breaths.

"So all you have to do is prove her wrong. Show her you're a super-hot, manly, hunk," he flexed and kissed his arms for effect, " and any lady will be all yours. But then again she's Toph and I'm not sure the same girl rules apply to her…she's scary."

"No, she's perfect," Aang defended, "and thanks for the advice. It sounds easy enough. I'll show her she was wrong and then tell her how I feel." He hopped of the bed and with more spirit in his steps began to skip out of the room.

Sokka watched the young boy prance out of the room before he had a chance to object. "_She's going to drop a boulder on that kid,"_ he thought.

* * *

After lunch, Aang asked Toph on a walk through the wooded area of the island. They were walking side by side in a silence that, for a reason Toph couldn't place, felt awkward.

"Ugh, so you know I just got done working out with Sokka." Aang tried to look casual and indifferent.

"Um, cool," she replied lamely as they continued to trek on.

"Yeah, right after I shaved," he tried to sound matter-of-factly.

Toph released a giggle, "Shaving what, your head?"

"No!" He blushed furiously, "Shaving my face…_and _my chest."

Toph rolled her eyes and went along with it. "Sure you did."

"I did! And I pushed a spider outside of my room!"

They weren't walking anymore but faced each other on the trail. "A spider? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Men deal with spiders!"

"So you're saying I couldn't deal with spiders?" She sounded incredulous, "I'm the one that smashes them with my bare feet! You can't even kill them, you push them outside like a wimp."

"That's not the point!"

"Well what is it because you're being weird and I don't like it!" Her hands were in fists at her sides and she glared at what she could only guess was where his face was.

"I just want you to know I'm a man now and not a sensitive little boy." He had to admit that even to his own ears he sounded silly.

"Is that what this is about and why does it matter?" She thought for a moment then exploded, "Were you listening to my conversation?!"

"No!" He replied but knew it didn't sound convincing.

"Why do you even care what I think about you?" Toph wasn't even sure now why her face was hot. Was it anger? Probably some of that. Embarrassment? A little bit. Something else? She shook her head of any mushy, girly thoughts because she only asked the question due to the argument.

"I just don't want you to think I'm fragile and need my feelings protected. You clearly don't view me as a guy, not like Zuko. You call me 'Twinkle Toes' for crying out loud! That isn't masculine at all!"

"Well you walk half in the air with your bending like a weirdo. What's wrong with walking like everyone else?!"

"I'll have you know me feet are very sensitive and get blistered very easily! I can't just let my shoes rub against my feet. You're supposed to see me as a super-hot, manly, hu-

He stopped arguing and cursed Sokka's words. He realized that even if he didn't like Toph's opinion of him, it was fairly accurate. "Just forget it, you're right." He stared at the ground defeated. Toph stood across from him and upon feeling through her feet the emotion rolling off of him and her face softened. They stood silently for moments.

Toph knew then the next move to take. She crossed the distance between them, leaned on her tip-toes and placed a kiss on Aang's cheek that immediately grew warm. "I'll have you know," she said softly, "I happen to have a thing for sensitive feet." She wiggled her own toes and before Aang recovered from his shock that was clear all over his face, she ran back up the trail and left behind the stunned avatar.

* * *

**I haven't written in a while. This came from a fairly new idea and I wrote this pretty fast so I'm sorry if it could have been better. But if by some chance you did like then review so perhaps I can write on another more lengthy and thought out story I have an idea for **


End file.
